Conversations with Justin Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Park.

Hi Justin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
On the restaurant side:
I began working in all aspects of the restaurant industry as young as 13 when my dad became an owner of a local coffee shop in my hometown. Since then, I’ve always been curious about the industry and love food. That curiosity eventually became a passion when I had to find ways to fend for myself through college. Post-college, I wanted to attend culinary school, but my parents needed help at their restaurant. I emailed and visited countless restaurants to see if anyone would pick me up as a stagiaire. Months and many rejections later, Chef Greg Wiener (then), Exec Chef of Top of the Rock at the Buttes, hired me. After working up and through other restaurants like The Artizen at the Camby by (then) Chef Dushyant Singh. I decided I wanted a place that didn’t offer a demographic preference. I enjoyed working alongside amazing chefs but disliked the sort of “bottle-necking” of clientele. Being from Los Angeles, I had grown up around Korean pubs and missed them tremendously by adulthood. Thus, Drunken Tiger happened. It was born from both a dream and a personal need. I continued to work alongside local chefs throughout the valley and attended food festivals/events whenever I had time. I had a short-lived but extremely fun and exciting project with Sam and Brenon (super awesome guys) from the Killer Whale Sex Club as Deez Buns that unfortunately didn’t fully grow to fruition. As the years went by, I was lucky enough that my restaurant has been received positively by the local community here in Arizona, but also on a larger scale, like Food Network, Thrillest, and Eater (to name a few).

About now:
After 6 successful years, I realized that it wasn’t restauranteur-ship I enjoyed but the overarching idea of being an entrepreneur. I still loved food and would always have Drunken Tiger, but I wanted to try something new. I met Preston Statzer at the beginning of 2022. Preston Statzer owns Olympus Games (a trading card game shop) in Mesa. After bonding our nerdom, we realized we had much more in common regarding business and business ideas. We initially had ideas of opening a cosplay cafe in his game shop. This idea eventually matured and became a large project leading to UwU Con. UwU Con is an anime-centered convention that hopes to show and share the world all things anime. We just wanted to do something fun and purely out of passion. We wanted to see what would happen if two dorks said, “F*** It. It sounds fun and cool”. We have many famous voice actors coming out, culturally and anime-appropriate food, tons of cool merchandise, two free anime raves, and more. I’m hoping to be on this journey for a while. We have a good team, and it’s what’s been my main goal for the last half year.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not. Most people who own or run their restaurants know the struggle. It takes a lot of determination and stubbornness to come into this industry. Putting personal matters aside, COVID was a huge turning point for all industries. Drunken Tiger has been open now 7 years and was losing money the first year and a half. Imagine losing a business. Yeah, it happened to me, and it sucked. You got to keep your head down and trudge forward! Even now, moving into a new industry. I’d rather keep my head down and do the best I can with the best of my ability than worry about what the guy next to me is doing or the past.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Currently, I’m more “known” in a loose sense in our local restaurant community in Arizona. I was fortunate to work with and under amazing people in and outside this industry. I specialize in Korean food. I learned from my mom, who learned from her mom, so my food tastes like my mom’s cooking. I’m proud that we’re here, we’ve survived, and we’re doing fine. Owning a business is not easy, period and the main thing that sets me apart is that I am patient compared to new or young business owners. I’ve gone through enough and learned much quicker to understand that all business is a risk. It’s how you take the punches and mitigate those risks that separate most people. Hopefully, I’ll be known as the UwU Con guy soon!

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Be patient. If you’re doing what you need to be doing, then another chance will always come. As corny as it sounds, do it for yourself first and foremost. You have to love what you’re doing regardless of what you’re doing to be successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://uwucon.com/
• Instagram: uwuconaz
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/drunken-tiger-mesa-2
• Other: http://www.drunkentigeraz.com/

 

Image Credits
Send Foodz, Corey Hour( https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-hour-29401b80 )